AN EXPERIENCED driver has hit out at “motor-insurance bullies” after years of fighting legal battles over three crashes which were not her fault.

Anita Segar, from Kennington, was involved in four crashes between September 2002 and February 2008. Each time she was forced to go to court to secure her payouts from four separate insurers.

The saga began in September 2002 when an elderly driver hit Mrs Segar’s car on a roundabout, as she was on her way to skydive with the RAF.

Seven court hearings and six years later, Mrs Segar – who has a clean licence, skid-pan training and has passed the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ advanced assessment – was finally awarded more than £10,000 in damages and costs by Oxford County Court.

Following two more crashes, in 2003 and 2007, in which she was encouraged to settle 50:50 by her insurers but successfully proved she was not at fault, the latest court case was resolved in June.

However, despite being ordered to pay Mrs Segar £264.40 by July 1, the insurance company has still not given her the money.

She said: “These insurers are getting away with murder. If my experience is repeated around the country, then the amounts of money are huge.

“My friends say it’s not worth it, but if somebody doesn’t fight, who’s going to? They will keep on doing this.

“In each case, the insurance companies had already decided what they wanted to do. They didn’t want someone like me presenting more evidence and challenging them.

“They work hand in glove with each other.

“A lot of people have told me they’ve said to their insurers ‘look at this’ but they just disregard them.”

She added: “To every innocent driver in an accident who is enjoined by their insurance company to accept a 50:50 settlement, I offer encouragement to seek justice, providing you have the time and determination.

“I have been trying for seemingly ages to expose these bully tactics and, at last, now that the fourth case is completely settled, there is hope.”

Malcolm Tarling, of the Association of British Insurers, said: “Insurance companies will look very closely at all the evidence presented to them and will judge each case very carefully on its merits.

“No insurance company will just flippantly, on the toss of a coin, decide where liability lies.”

He added: “My advice to people who believe they were not at fault is to provide as much evidence as possible to the insurance company, particularly independent witnesses.

“If you are unhappy with the way you have been treated you can always talk to the Financial Ombudsman, who will be able to look at individual cases and the general market practice of the insurance company.”